Ribery booed by French fans, but not by all of them

Franck Ribery and Patrice Evra were back in the French squad for Tuesday's first home match since their roles as leading punks in the punk parade that was France's World Cup implosion. Neither one started the friendly against Croatia, but that didn't keep fans from getting their boos in.

From Reuters:

Both were booed when the stadium announcer read the substitutes' names at an unusually fast pace before kick off and the picture of the players sitting on the France bench disappeared from the big screen.

In the second half, though, Ribery got the chance to have the crowd's emotions rain down on him like asbestos as he entered the match.

Huge boos came from the stands when the influential midfielder replaced Florent Malouda on the hour but other parts of the stadium began to chant his name.

"It was a bit special. It is true that there were some boos when I came on, but then some fans chanted my name," Ribery told French TV channel TF1.

Always looking on the bright side, that Franck Ribery. Others at the Stade de France weren't as sunny about it, though...

Said a 54-year-old football coach and fan named Paul:

"They did not exactly set an example and today, they come back a bit as if nothing had happened," he said.

"Ribery is not Zidane, is he? We can do without him. I'm furious."

Paul is furious! FURIOUS!!! In fact, he was so furious that as soon as he said that, he burst through his clothes, turned green and broke the interviewer in half. And then he again demanded that someone assure him that Franck Ribery is not Zidane. Because if he is, well, that changes everything.

All that aside, France's new away kit did look quite nice.

Or, in it's natural, old-timey lighting:

Photo: Reuters